DONALD Trump admitted he is prepared to make women travel hundreds of miles for an abortion in a shock first interview as President-elect.Trump was speaking from his opulent New York apartment for the first time since sweeping to the White House last week.And he told worried Americans: "Don't be afraid."In a wide-ranging interview the 70-year-old businessman said:His plans for abortion law could see the practice banned in some states.He will "immediately deport" up to three million illegal immigrants.Gay marriage laws are "fine" with him.Barack Obama had "a great sense of humour" in the pair's meeting last week.But it was his pro-life comments to host Lesley Stahl that provided most shock on CBS' 60 Minutes Show.Trump vowed to appoint pro-life Supreme Court judges - a move that could see a key piece of US law overturned.Roe v Wade means all US states must allow the right to an abortion.But Trump hinted he would not be opposed to the 1973 law being dismissed - meaning each … [Read more...] about Donald Trump says women may have travel to another state for abortions, promises to ‘immediately deport 3 million immigrants and insists he WILL build Mexico border wall in first interview from New York bling palace

A Venezuelan police helicopter attacked the country's Supreme Court building and a government ministry in Caracas on Tuesday, in what embattled President Nicolas Maduro described as a "terror attack" by people seeking a coup. The aircraft dropped four grenades on the court, where judges were meeting, and fired 15 shots at the Interior Ministry, where people were celebrating a social event for journalists, officials said. No one was injured. The gun-and-grenade attack came hours after Maduro warned that he was prepared to enter a full-scale conflict to resolve the country's monthslong political crisis. Speaking on state TV, the 54-year-old president appeared to claim that the attack from the stolen helicopter was part of a conspiracy to destabilize his Socialist government and said he had activated the country's air defense in response. "Sooner rather than later, we are going to capture the helicopter and those behind this armed terrorist attack against the institutions of the … [Read more...] about Maduro: Grenades dropped on Venezuela’s Supreme Court

The Supreme Court agreed on Monday to hear arguments on the legality of one of President Donald Trump's signature policies from the first months of his presidency. The appeal case was scheduled to be heard at the start of the court's next term, in October. The justices also agreed to grant parts of his administration's emergency request to put the March 6 executive order into effect while the legal battle continues. Last week Trump said the ban would take effect 72 hours after being cleared by the court. With one exception, the Supreme Court also said it would allow a 90-day ban on all refugees entering the US to go into effect. The court ruled that people "with a credible claim of a bona fide relationship with a person or entity in the United States" could not be denied entry into the country. Trump welcomes ruling Trump released a statement welcoming the Supreme Court decision saying it was a clear victory for national security. "As president, I cannot allow … [Read more...] about US Supreme Court partly reinstates Trump’s Muslim nation travel ban

The new National Security Council Act will allow Prime Minister Najib Razak to designate "security" areas where he can deploy forces to search any individual, vehicle or premise without a warrant. Under the new powers, which will apply from August 1, investigators will not have to hold formal inquests into killings by the police or armed forces in those areas. The ruling government coalition has said the law is necessary to counter threats to security, but critics have expressed concerns that the new measures could be used to silence critics of the One Malaysia Development Berhad (1MDB) fund scandal. "The concern among the civil society and others is because the National Security Council can be used against anything that the government is unhappy with," said Wan Saiful Wan Jan, chief executive of the Institute for Democracy and Economic Affairs. He said it could extend to public rallies. The law was enacted without the customary royal assent being obtained from Malaysia's King … [Read more...] about Malaysia PM Najib Razak to get sweeping new security powers

The US Supreme Court upheld a ruling on Wednesday that will see 2 billion dollars of frozen Iranian assets turned over to relatives of victims of terrorist attacks linked to Iran. In a 6-2 decision, the judges decided against the Iranian central bank and in favor of more than 1,000 family members who have waged a long legal battle to get compensation for violence they claim Tehran orchestrated. In 2007, a US federal court ruled that Iran must pay $2.65 billion to the relatives of Marines killed in an attack at a barracks in Beirut in 1983, as well as the 1996 Khobar Towers bombing in Saudi Arabia which claimed the lives of 19 US service members. In 2012, the US Congress inserted itself into the issue by passing a law mandating the frozen assets be turned over to the families as part of the settlement. Bank Markazi had already challenged this law once, but a 2014 ruling by a New York appellate court held that Congress has not acted inappropriately. It was this 2014 decision that the … [Read more...] about US Supreme Court: Iran bank must pay attack victims

US Supreme Court justices declined to hear an appeal of an October 2015 ruling by the Second US Circuit Court of Appeals, based in New York, upholding laws prohibiting semiautomatic weapons and large-capacity magazines in the two northeastern states. Instead, it left current gun control laws that ban such assault weapons in place in New York and Connecticut. The laws had been introduced in response to another mass shooting involving a semi-automatic weapon at the Sandy Hook Elementary School in Newtown, Connecticut, in December 2012. The legislation in New York and Connecticut is considered to be among the strictest in the US. Gun rights advocates have, however, repeatedly challenged existing laws, asking for the legalization of assault weapons - like the one used in the June 12 massacre at the Pulse nightclub in Orlando. Debate on gun control In December 2015, less than a month after the deadly mass shooting in San Bernardino, California, Justices Clarence Thomas and … [Read more...] about US Supreme Court leaves state assault weapons bans in place

In a 5-4 vote, the US Supreme Court ruled part of the Defense of Marriage Act (DOMA) - which did not recognize homosexual couples as equal to heterosexual couples under the law - unconstitutional. The ruling now makes homosexual partners eligible for the same legal benefits given to heterosexual couples under federal law. The law had imposed "a stigma upon all who enter into same-sex marriages made lawful by the unquestioned authority of the states," Justice Anthony Kennedy wrote in the majority opinion. Twelve states and the District of Columbia currently allow same-sex unions. "Under DOMA, same-sex married couples have their lives burdened, by reason of government decree, in visible and public ways," Kennedy wrote. The 1996 Defense of Marriage Act, signed into law by former President Bill Clinton, defined marriage as a legal union between one man and one woman. The case before the Supreme Court was brought by Edith Windsor, whose marriage to Thea Spyer was recognized under New … [Read more...] about US Supreme Court strikes down federal law on gay marriage

The United States Supreme Court on Tuesday overturned a key section of the landmark 1965 Voting Rights Act and called on Congress to update the formula that determines which states are subject to federal supervision over their electoral laws. In a 5-4 decision, the court's conservative majority struck down Section 4 of the law. The section defines a formula for determining which states must be supervised by the federal government in order to prevent racial discrimination against minority voters. Alabama, Alaska, Arizona, Georgia, Louisiana, Mississippi, South Carolina, Texas and Virginia are currently covered by the section. Some local governments in California, Florida, Michigan and New York are also subject to federal intervention. "Our decision in no way affects the permanent, nationwide ban on racial discrimination in voting," Chief Justice John Roberts argued, writing the majority opinion. US President Barack Obama, the United States' first African American … [Read more...] about US top court removes key part of anti-discrimination law

Everyone has the right to life, according to Article 3 of the Universal Declaration of Human Rights. This right applies in all signatory countries, regardless of how great the guilt or the crimes committed. As a result, the death penalty, along with torture, is an unjustifiable intervention by the state into the inviolable rights of the individual. The practice has been abolished in 97 countries, most recently in Latvia and Mongolia earlier this year. In eight countries, the penalty is limited to war crimes and military law verdicts, while in 36 countries it may be on the books, but it is no longer enforced. More executions in fewer states Nearly 2,000 death sentences were pronounced in 2011, according to Amnesty International. Even though capital punishment still only applies in 57 countries, "executions only took place in 20 states [last year]," said the organization's annual review of worldwide death penalty trends, released Tuesday. The report noted that at least 676 people were … [Read more...] about Amnesty: Executions up in 2011, but in fewer countries

The United Nations Human Rights Council’s incoming chairperson said Israel had continued to bar access to the West Bank and Gaza Strip and that investigators need more time to finish their report. “The commission has done its utmost to obtain access to Israel and the Gaza Strip, as well as the West Bank, including East Jerusalem,” UN Human Rights Council Chairwoman Mary McGowan Davis said on Monday. “We would very much have liked to meet face to face with victims and the authorities in these places.” Davis, a former New York state supreme court justice, replaced Canadian international law expert William Schabas who resigned last month under Israeli pressure. Tel Aviv had questioned Schabas’ impartiality as the law professor had prepared a legal opinion for the Palestine Liberation Organization in 2012. Davis said the turnover in leadership and late-breaking testimony from witnesses forced to travel to neighboring countries and Geneva, means the … [Read more...] about Israel, US boycott UN human rights inquiry on Gaza, West Bank